Fast and Tasty Ways to Sneak Veggies into Your Diet
Source: Fast and Tasty Ways to Sneak More Veggies Into Your Diet
We love vegetables because they're relatively low in calories but full of essential nutrients like vitamins, fiber, and calcium. Even with all this love, it's still hard to get five servings a day. Vegetables aren't always easy to prepare, and they don't have the wide appeal of a slice of pizza or chocolate cake. Luckily, there are easy ways to sneak veggies into your diet, from allowing you to get a full day's serving in less than a one-cup portion to enjoying a delicious dessert.
Drink Your Veggies: A vegetable-based juice or smoothie is an easy way to get your daily dose of nutrients. Case in point: an eight-ounce glass of our pressed root juice contains a carrot and a beet along with some celery root and fennel. It takes minutes to prepare and even less to consume. Need a dose of greens? An entire bunch of kale juices down to about three ounces - now that's a shot we can get behind! Keep in mind that juicing gets rid of all the fiber contained in veggies. If that concerns you, blend or puree veggies for a soup or smoothie instead. It's amazing how many vegetables you can take in once they're pulverized.
Bite-Sized Bits: There's a reason carrot sales doubled in the United States after baby carrots were introduced to the market over a decade ago - make vegetables easier to deal with, and people want to eat them. From bagged salads to precut veggies, it's never been easier to have veggies on hand. This accessibility means you always have a go-to snack or ingredients for a healthy stir-fry or salad without having to prep. If buying precut veggies seems like a waste of money, once a week, take 20 minutes to prep a variety of veggies to store in the fridge for later use.
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Make Everything a Salad: When I don't have the energy to cook a side dish of vegetables or prep an elaborate salad, I throw a bed of greens on whatever I'm eating. It doesn't matter if it's pizza, pasta, or curry, a handful of peppery arugula always seems to make the dish better. If you aren't a huge fan of leafy greens, keep your favorite vegetables stocked in the freezer. Frozen veggies work well in pasta sauces, soups, and stews - all you need to do is toss them in the dish while cooking! On days when you can only muster microwaving a frozen entree, add some extra veggies in before nuking the meal.
Get Sneaky : If the taste of veggies doesn't appeal to you or someone else in your household, there are ways to add them to any meal without knowing they're even there! Mix grated carrots, celery, or zucchini into burgers, meatballs, or meatloaf; add pureed broccoli to tomato sauce; throw some spinach into the blender when making your morning fruit smoothie. There's also a variety of desserts you can make using vegetables in the ingredients. Best of all, these sneaky substitutions will add nutrients without sacrificing taste.
Go Green (With Powders): Even when we have the best intentions, we still may fall short when it comes to our veggie intake for the day. On those days, get your fill with a superfood powder derived from vegetables. These powdered greens are made from organic fruits and vegetables, probiotics, fiber, enzymes, and more. Add a scoop to water, milk, or a smoothie, and you'll have the antioxidant equivalent of a full day's serving of veggies and fruit!
Related Content:
Sweet Treats With Hidden Veggies
Under 150 Calories: Veggie-Inspired Snacks
6 Ways to Enjoy the Goodness of Fruit For Dinner
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